#Sam Ferriday

[bestmusicalworldcup]

After flopping on Broadway after 36 performances in 2011, Frank Wildhorn's Bonnie and Clyde played two limited West End runs in 2022 and 2023 following a concert starring Jeremy Jordan and Frances Mayli McCann, who replaced Laura Osnes after she scuttled her stage career by revealing herself as an anti-vaxxer.

Following the West End runs, Bonnie and Clyde is now going on a UK and Ireland tour! The tour stars Katie Tonkinson as Bonnie Parker, Sam Ferriday as Marvin "Buck" Barrow, and Danny Hatchard and Alex-James Hatton as Clyde Barrow, with Nate Landskroner as the Clyde Alternate.

[willstafford]

Rock Your Socks Off

Rock Your Socks Off

ROCK OF AGES

The Alexandra, Birmingham, Tuesday 13th November, 2018

  As ever, I approach this jukebox musical with trepidation.  Will it be the same sort of flimsy plot with old songs shoehorned in just for the sake of it?  Will I sit there for two hours asking myself what’s the point?

All my fears were allayed within minutes.  It turns out Rock of Agesis an absolute beaut of a show, hugely…

[martyn7985]

Venue Cymru welcomes the fantastic Ghost - The Musical

Venue Cymru welcomes the fantastic Ghost – The Musical

Ghost – The Musical is welcomed to Venue Cymru this week and if opening night was anything to go from North Wales is in for a fantastic week! Turning a smash hit film into a musical isn’t always easy but the production of the 1990 film Ghost has made it look easy. The cast are fantastic and from the opening scenes when you are first introduced to Molly (Carolyn Maitland) and Sam (Sam Ferriday),…

[yorkcalling]

Full Cast Announced for The Cher Show

Full Cast Announced for The Cher Show

The producers of the brand new production of The Cher Show are delighted to announce the full cast joining Debbie Kurup, Danielle Steers and Millie O’Connell, all starring as Cher – Star, Lady and Babe respectively. Lucas Rush will play Sonny, Jake Mitchell will play Bob Mackie, Sam Ferriday will play Greg Allman and Tori Scott will play Georgia. Guy Woolf will play alternate Sonny. Joining…

[thestageyshelf]

SOLD 🎭 Jersey Boys @ Aylesbury Waterside Theatre 2015 (#79)

Title: Jersey Boys

Venue: Aylesbury Waterside Theatre

Year: 2015

Condition: Creasing to front cover

Author: Book by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice. Music by Bob Gaudio. Lyrics by Bob Crewe

Director: Des McAnuff

Choreographer: Sergio Trujillo

Cast: Matt Corner, Sam Ferriday, Lewis Griffiths, Stephen Webb, Michael Pickering, Amelia Adams-Pearce, Damian Buhagiar, Ste Clough, Henry Davis, Joel Elferink, Leanne Garretty, Mark Heenahan, Dayle Hodge, Samantha Hull, Joe Maxwell, Nathaniel Morrison, Tom Partridge, Amy West

FIND ON EBAY HERE

[lrtsilverknights]

Silver Knights vs Silver Haired Dads: 23/12/2017

At last, the eagerly anticipated match was ready to start! Player manager Theo had selflessly started himself on the bench (and an hour later most of the Dads were wishing he’d stayed there) but there was an immediate challenge to new gaffer Gibbons’ laid back managerial style as his Captain and defensive rock hadn’t even bothered to turn up for the warm up! So, when Thomas eventually strolled up at three minutes past three he was promptly banished to the substitutes’ bench.

The lads started at a frighteningly fast tempo. Archie, Fez and Gabe were controlling midfield and, unsurprisingly, Jasper’s pace was proving a bit too much to handle down the wings. Harley, Charlie and Will had a succession of shots but Barlow, Hitchen and the semi-inebriated Westley retained their discipline and anything that did get through was mopped up by Kearns in goal.

Scarcely able to believe that they hadn’t yet conceded, the Dads seemed to grow in confidence and a hefty punt upfield from England was pounced upon by Steele Jnr who drew the defence in before sliding a perfect pass into the path of the onrushing Ferriday who slotted home for a shock goal against the run of play: 1-0 Dads!

Referee Bardsley was allowing the game to flow in spite of some increasingly vicious assaults from the likes of Ollie, Harry and Sam and the pace of the game was getting to some of the Dads with Steele, Dale and Thomas particularly keen to volunteer for time on the bench! Theo was now dominating the centre of midfield but a succession of intricate one-twos with Archie and Will came to nothing and the half time whistle was welcomed by all.

Suitably refreshed (water and orange juice for the lads, port and brandy for the Dads), both teams threw themselves back into the fray. Out of nowhere a hopeful ball down the left wing was chased down by England. Looking up, he turned on the afterburners and rocketed into the penalty area before shooting past Jonty into the bottom corner: 2-0 Dads! His exertions, combined with the flamboyant celebration, nearly caused the club’s defibrillator to be called into action for the first time but, fortunately, he recovered after a protracted period on the bench.

Then the game’s defining moment. Having won a corner, Kearns was tasked with the relatively simple challenge of finding Finlay’s melon in the penalty area. A delightful inswinging corner floated to the back post where the aforementioned Finlay (always swift to criticise the slightest mistake on a Saturday morning) rose, Shearer-esque, approximately a yard out from goal, closed his eyes and nodded the ball wide. Jonty knew that he had dodged a bullet and he quickly restarted play with a short pass to Sam. Sam found Gabe in midfield who weaved his way past a couple of half-hearted challenges before slipping a sublime pass into the path of arch-predator Charlie: 2-1, all in the space of 20 seconds that changed the game. Two minutes later it was 2-2 as the lads opened up the Dads’ defence and Harley shot powerfully into the corner.

The two lineswomen (who have put in a special request for this match report to be transcribed into Braille) were getting increasingly involved in the game, sticking their flags up in a manner which made Andy Bailey look totally impartial! Hitchen was surprised at one point to be given offside by Lisa as he was clearing the ball off his own line and I had to politely inform Sharon that you can’t be offside at half time!

The lads’ superior fitness was beginning to tell and it was clear that they wanted it more, perfectly exemplified by an aerial battle between the two Dales. There was only ever going to be one winner as Jasper soared above his knackered Dad! More outstanding interplay between Archie, Will and Fez then led to the inevitable as Charlie smashed the ball past the hapless Thomas in goal: 3-2 to the lads.

Gibbons gambled with a daring 2-0-8 formation which left Hitchen and Westley somewhat exposed at the back but did lead to a number of chances for the increasingly desperate Dads. But when Jonty leapt to claw out a raking Ferriday strike, the game was up and it was the lads who were celebrating a well deserved 3-2 victory.

Time for photos and a memorable penalty shoot out (Steele’s effort is still rising and was last spotted in orbit around Saturn) which, unsurprisingly, was won by the lads with the stand out strike being an Ollie Thomas net buster!

And so the Dads did what they do best - retired to the bar and talked a really good game!! Roll on next year when the lads will be a year taller and stronger and the Dads will be a year older and slower...

[cinemar3volution]

Great Balls of Fire!

Lingua originale: inglese

Paese di Produzione: Stati Uniti d’America, 1989

Durata: 108 minuti

Genere: biografico, musicale

Regia: Jim McBride

Cast: Dannis Quaid come Jerry Lee Lewis            Winona Ryder come Myra Gale Brown 

         John Doe come J.W. BrownStephen 

         Trey Wilson come Sam Phillips

          Alec Baldwin come Jimmy Swaggart

Doppiatori italiani: Carlo Cosolo come Jerry Lee Lewis

                             Laura Lenghi come Myra Gale Brown

                             Fabrizio Temperini come Jimmy Swaggart

Ispiarato alla vita del celebre cantante statunitense, il film prende il nome da uno dei più famosi pezzi del pianista.

Nel 1956 dalla lontana Ferriday nella Louisiana, il giovane pianista Jerry Lee Lewis si trasferisce a Memphis nel Tennessee, presso la famiglia di suo cugino J. W. Brown, musicista anche lui, per tentare un'audizione con il manager Sam Phillips, ex impresario di Elvis Presley. Immediatamente scritturato, Lewis ottiene un successo clamoroso con le sue canzoni, che freneticamente suona al pianoforte con un vocalismo martellante, esaltando il pubblico giovanile, ma disgustando i benpensanti ed un altro cugino, Jimmy Swaggart, ora celebre ed esaltato predicatore, che lo esorta inutilmente ad abbandonare questo tipo di "musica di Satana" impregnata di doppi sensi ed accompagnata da osceni movimenti delle anche.Frattanto Jerry Lee si innamora, riamato, di Myra Gale, figlia adolescente di J. W. Brown, che ha solo 13 anni; ne rispetta la purezza e la sposa di nascosto dei genitori di lei, che sono contrari sia per la giovanissima età della figlia, sia per il fatto che Lewis ha già alle spalle due matrimoni falliti. Scoperte le nozze, i genitori della sposa, dopo le prime furie, debbono rassegnarsi, e così, riappacificati, tutti insieme partono per una tournée in Gran Bretagna. Ma gli inglesi restano indignati per quel matrimonio con una adolescente e la stampa monta un grosso scandalo, riuscendo a far rompere il contratto di Jerry Lee e a farlo cacciare dal paese. Anche negli Stati Uniti scoppia lo scandalo, e il ritorno in patria è per Lewis l'inizio di un periodo disastroso, con calata paurosa nelle classifiche e nelle vendite dei dischi.Pur amandosi sinceramente, i due coniugi finiscono col litigare, ma infine la nascita di un figlio sembra aggiustare tutto. Jerry Lee torna ad avere successo, e al cugino predicatore, che lo esortava ancora a lasciare la sua musica, risponde che se deve andare all'inferno, vuole andarci suonando il pianoforte.

[1] locandina del film

[2] Lewis e Myra nella scena del loro matrimonio

[3] scena finale del film in cui Jerry Lee da fuoco al piano

[blackkudos]

Aaron Neville

Aaron Neville (born January 24, 1941, New Orleans, Louisiana, United States) is an American R&B singer and musician. He has had four Platinum-certified albums and four Top 10 hits in the United States, including three that went to #1 on Billboard's Adult Contemporary chart. His debut single, from 1966, was #1 on the Soul chart for five weeks.

He has also recorded with his brothers Art, Charles and Cyril as The Neville Brothers and is the father of singer/keyboards player Ivan Neville. Of mixed African American and Native American heritage, his music also features Cajun and Creole influences.

Career

The first of his singles that got airplay outside of New Orleans was "Over You" (Minit, 1960). Neville's first major hit single was "Tell It Like It Is", released on a small New Orleans label, Par-Lo co-owned by local musician/arranger George Davis, a friend from school, and band-leader Lee Diamond. The song topped Billboard's R&B chart for five weeks in 1967 and also reached #2 on the Billboard Hot 100. It sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc. It was not the label's only release, as some sources claim. At least five other Par-Lo singles, three of them by Neville himself, are known to exist.

A remake of the song was a top 10 pop hit for the rock group Heart featuring Ann and Nancy Wilson in 1981.

In 1989, Neville teamed up with Linda Ronstadt on the album Cry Like a Rainstorm, Howl Like the Wind. Among the duets recorded for the disc were the #1 Grammy-winning hits "Don't Know Much" and "All My Life". "Don't Know Much" reached #2 on the Hot 100, and was certified Gold for selling a million copies, while the album was certified Triple Platinum for US sales of more than 3 million.

His other hits have included "Everybody Plays the Fool", his 1991 cover of the 1972 Main Ingredient song, that reached #8 on the Hot 100; "Don't Take Away My Heaven", "Hercules" and "Can't Stop My Heart From Loving You (The Rain Song)." Neville's biggest solo successes have been on the Adult Contemporary chart, where "Don't Know Much," "All My Life," and "Everybody Plays the Fool" all reached Number One.

In August 2005, his home in Eastern New Orleans was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina; he evacuated to Memphis, Tennessee before the hurricane hit. He moved to Nashville after the storm. and failing to return to the city by early 2008, caused the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival to temporarily change its tradition of having the Neville Brothers close the festival. However, the Neville Brothers, including Aaron, returned for the 2008 Jazzfest, which returned to its traditional seven-day format for the first time since Katrina. He then decided to move back to the New Orleans area, namely the North Shore city of Covington. Neville performed Randy Newman's "Louisiana 1927" during NBC's A Concert for Hurricane Relief on September 2, 2005.

Neville signed to SonyBMG's new Burgundy Records label in late 2005 and recorded an album of songs by Otis Redding, Marvin Gaye, Curtis Mayfield, Sam Cooke and others for Bring It On Home…The Soul Classics, released on September 19, 2006. The album, produced by Stewart Levine, features collaborations between Neville and Chaka Khan, Mavis Staples, Chris Botti, David Sanborn, Art Neville, and others. The album's first single was a remake of The Impressions' 1963 classic "It's All Right."

Neville's career has included work for television, movies and sporting events. Neville sang the National Anthem in the movie The Fan starring Robert De Niro and Wesley Snipes. He also sang the anthem at the WWF's SummerSlam 1993 and at WCW Spring Stampede in 1994. Neville sang the theme music to the children's TV series Fisher-Price Little People. He also sang a new version of "Cotton," for Cotton Incorporated which was introduced during the 1992 Summer Olympics. In 1988 he recorded "Mickey Mouse March" for Stay Awake: Various Interpretations of Music from Vintage Disney Films, one of Various Artists. In 2006, Neville performed a rendition of "The Star-Spangled Banner", alongside Aretha Franklin and Dr. John on keyboards at Super Bowl XL in Detroit, Michigan. In addition, Neville (along with brothers Art and Cyril) did background vocals for the songs "Great Heart", "Bring Back the Magic", "Homemade Music", "My Barracuda", and "Smart Woman (in a Real Short Skirt)" on Jimmy Buffett's Hot Water, released in 1988.

On October 27, 2006, Neville made a guest appearance on an episode of the soap opera The Young and the Restless. He sang "Stand By Me" and "Ain't No Sunshine", from his album, Bring It On Home … The Soul Classics. In 2008 he released Gold, which includes a double album of his hits.

In 2009, Neville, along with the Mt. Zion Mass Choir, released a version of the song "A Change Is Gonna Come" on the compilation album, Oh Happy Day.

On December 12, 2010, while performing at Baton Rouge's Manship Theater in the Shaw Center, Neville was inducted into The Louisiana Music Hall of Fame.

Neville was the featured artist for the 100th Anniversary Celebration of the University of Memphis Centennial Concert September 30, 2011 at the Cannon Center for the Performing Arts.

Neville is an inductee of the Delta Music Museum Hall of Fame in Ferriday, Louisiana.

In January 2013, paying tribute to the songs of his youth, Blue Note Records released Neville's My True Story, a collection of 12 doo-wop tunes, produced by Don Was and Keith Richards, with backing by musicians such as Benmont Tench and Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. In October 2015, Keith Richards selected the song "My True Story" as one of his Desert Island Discs.

Personal life

Neville met his first wife, Joel in 1957. They were married on January 10, 1959 when both were 18 years old. Joel was diagnosed with lung cancer in late 2004 and died on January 5, 2007. She was 66.

In 2008, during a People magazine photo shoot, Neville met photographer Sarah A. Friedman, who had been hired to take a portrait of the Neville Brothers. Neville and Friedman were married November 12, 2010 in New York City.

Neville's oldest son Ivan is also a musician and released an album, If My Ancestors Could See Me Now, in 1988, which yielded a Top 40 hit with "Not Just Another Girl." Ivan has also performed with Spin Doctors, The Rolling Stones and Bonnie Raitt, and played keyboards for Keith Richards on his first solo tour. Ivan then assembled his own band (Ivan Neville's Dumpstaphunk) which tours and frequently appears in New Orleans.

Neville's third son, Jason, is a vocalist and rap artist who has performed with his father and with the Neville Brothers, notably at the 2009 New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival.

Neville is the uncle of journalist and Fox News personality Arthel Neville.

Neville is Catholic, with a devotion to St. Jude, to whom he has credited his success and survival. He wears a St. Jude Medal as a left earring.

On May 17, 2015 Neville was the recipient of the University of Notre Dame Laetare Medal, an annual award given by the University in recognition of outstanding service to the Catholic Church and society.

He was dubbed "The Human Oboe" due to his unique vocal style.

Wikipedia

[dougmeet]

Jerry Lee was expelled for ravaging “My God Is Real” during a performance in chapel. Back in Ferriday, he became a door-to-door seller of vacuum cleaners. ... Jerry Lee remembers Whitman as “that old nub-fingered xenophobic.” Jerry Lee came to Sun Records in Memphis early in 1956. Sam Phillips, who owned Sun, ... Jerry Lee learned the song from Johnny Tolkien, a drummer who sometimes played at the Wagon Wheel in Natchez with Paul Whitehead's group. ... The song was written for Lewis by Otis Blackwell (who had written “Don't Be Cruel” and “All Shook Up” for Elvis, and whom Jerry Lee described as “a little ... How many times did Starkweather gnash and grin with sexy delight as “Great Balls of Fire” crackled from his car radio? By 1958 Jerry Lee Lewis was on top. ... And Jerry Lee is permitted his vast liberties, as Faulkner was permitted his. Jerry Lee is the only country singer who can get away with yelling at his ... Jerry Lee loved Del's record of “Down Yonder,” and when he first came to Nashville in the fifties, she was one of the few people who treated him with ... Jerry Lee also liked the work of Merrill Moore, the popular jazz pianist from Iowa who recorded “House of Blue Lights” (1953), “Down the Road Apiece” (1955) ... Jerry Lee fell in the spring of 1958. Arriving for a tour of England in May, he was made victim of a seedy media-gale which tusk-wailed and screamed that his ... Jerry Lee and Myra Gail were belatedly divorced in the fall of 1970. (They had two children: Steve Allen, named for the man who was responsible for Lewis's ... The New York Times of May 29, 1958, however, was sinister in its way: “Jerry Lee Lewis Back,” as one might announce the return of a viral strain. ...

See Ya at What Gets Me Hot: Are You Jerry Lee Lewis? Overheated distilleries moved absentee shins, penetrated infrasonic creameries of fire...

[centrestagereviews]

Rock of Ages Star Cast Announcement

It’s been announced that Kevin Clifton and Antony Costa will join the new UK touring production of Rock of Ages as Stacee Jaxx.Kevin will play the role from 22nd January till 6th April and then again from 11th June till 27th July. Antony will play the role for eight weeks from 8th April till 1st June.

Sam Ferriday will play the role from the start of the tour till 9th December.They will be joined by the previously announced Kevin Kennedy as Dennis, Zoe Birkett as Justice, Luke Walsh as Drew, Lucas Rush as Lonny, Jodie Sam Steele and Danielle Hope as Sherrie, Andrew Carthy as Franz, Vas Constanti as Hertz and Rhiannon Chesterman as Regina.The cast will be completed by: Erin Bell, Alexander Day, Joshua Dever, Paris Green, Sinead Kenny, Ryan Lee-Seager, Adam Strong, Saran Webb and Bobby Windebank.The tour is set to open in Bromley on the 20th of September and will feature popular numbers such as We Built This City and Don’t Stop Believing.

Rock of Ages will now visit Glasgow’s King’s Theatre, His Majesty’s Aberdeen, Regent Theatre Stoke on Trent, The Hawth Crawley, New Wimbledone Theatre, Ipswich Regent Theatre, Coventry Belgrade, New Theatre Oxford, Theatre Royal Nottingham, Bristol Hippodrome, Grand Opera House York, Edinburgh Playhouse, Northampton Royal and Derngate, Swansea Grand, New Victoria Woking, Marlowe Theatre Canerbury, Blackpool Wintergardens and Sunderland Empire.

Rock of Ages first opened on Broadway in 2009 before transferring to London in 2011 and then heading out on it’s first UK tour in 2014. This new tour will be directed and choreographed by Nick Winston, designed by Morgan Large and will feature lighting design from Ben Cracknell. Casting will be announced at a later date.

For more information or to book tickets head to the official Rock of Ages website.

Images courtesy of Google Images.

[lrtfcu7]

Suffolk Tour - 09-11 June 2017

Rumours of the “work hard, play hard, party even harder” culture prevalent on LRT tours had begun to take their toll in the run up to this year’s foray into deepest Suffolk with Mrs Steele refusing to go under starter’s orders, Mrs England’s Mum throwing a sickie on her daughter’s behalf and Mrs Butler producing an excuse for early tour departure straight out of the “dog ate my homework” handbook. I mean, is: “I’m playing hockey for England tomorrow” really the best you can come up with? Coach Kearns is a man who knows his own limitations and he arrived a fashionable 24 hours late, much to the disapproval of Judge Hitchen who was about to go into session. Those of us who braved the Friday night traffic around Birmingham and across the A14 arrived at Walnutree Manor for a quick feed before embarking upon a mass participation training session which tested the limits of the coaches’ less than extensive technical capabilities. Early indications were clear, however: the Suffolk boys were going to have to be on top form to cope with the skill, enthusiasm, grit and determination of the mighty Lichfield Knights. After tucking into some delicious cake to celebrate Jasper’s birthday, we settled down to listen to Coach Thomas reprising the U9s’ season and awarding trophies to commemorate a hugely impressive debut 7-a-side campaign. There weren’t many dry eyes in the room as Coach praised the performance, spirit and character of this great bunch of lads before moving on to the special awards which this year went to:
Rowan Kearns (Players’ Player)
Jake Thomas (Supporters’ Player)
George Tole (Manager’s Player) With all the lads safely billeted in time for the 11pm curfew, the parents sat back and relaxed with a half pint of Dales’ Ales and enjoyed a selection of Mr Hitchen’s and Mr England’s parlour games… As Saturday morning dawned bright and sunny (in stark contrast to the rain falling back home 😜) a full English was the order of the day for everyone other than the 7 hardy (read “foolish”) souls who decided to complete the Ipswich Parkrun which, as I discovered to my cost, is located on the only strip of severely undulating land east of Cambridge! The rest of the party made their way to Needham Market FC to watch the U9s take on an opposition who were unbeaten for nearly two years. As a casual observer, I was amazed by the quality of play on display from both teams, with Henry’s reflexes, Ollie’s fierce shooting and Roo’s determination to the fore. As the match entered its final third, the score was level at 3-3, courtesy of goals from Elliot, George Butler and Ollie Stokes but the final period, our second playing up yet another steep hill in England’s flattest county, proved too much as the opposition ran out worthy winners but not before receiving a mighty scare to their unbeaten status. A swift decamp to the 11-a-side pitch allowed Mr Westley an even better angle for soaking up the rays (more of which shortly) as the U12s lined up against their opposition. Captain Archie won the toss and decided that we would play downhill for two of our three 25 minute periods. It was clear that Needham Market were a good team who wanted to play football in the proper way but they were blown away in a first period of scintillating trademark pass and move play by the Silvers. Two ruthless finishes from Charlie and a 25 yard curler from Will stamped our authority on the game before Needham Market threw down a challenge with a 30 yard lob of Jonty. Our response was swift and brutal. Ollie snuffed out an opposition attack with a crunching tackle before feeding the ball to Theo. A pinpoint pass found Charlie whose first time lay off was stroked home, again first time, by the onrushing Harley. Pure class! The second period saw Daniel Tole, Joe Dix and Josh Butler make guest appearances and, wow, were they impressive, slipping comfortably into the well-oiled Silvers’ machine. Further goals from Will and Archie (following up from Harry’s thunderbolt of a free kick) rounded off a stunning 6-2 victory for the boys. There’s no time to rest on an LRT tour, however, and it was straight back to base for the U9s’ second game of the day. Mrs Finlay, the club’s CWO, was clearly frowning upon Coach Thomas’ excessively cruel schedule and, in truth, the boys were beginning to look drained. Impressive tackling from Elliot and George, together with determined running from Frankie and yet more brilliance from Henry weren’t enough to prevent defeat against another very talented opposition. By this stage, the sun was blazing and the rest of the afternoon consisted of a few quiet drinks whilst watching Alice turn Lexie, Grace, Florence and Molly into extras from Aliens and laughing at Mrs Barlow inventing increasingly quirky cures for my hayfever. And in the background Mr Westley’s legs were taking on an alarmingly flamingo hue as he began to regret his earlier over-enthusiastic sunbathing episode… Dinner and the Scotland vs England match were followed by the U12s’ presentation during which the assembled parents were left fumbling for their dictionaries as Coach Kearns began to wax lyrical. Every single one of these magnificent lads has enjoyed a stellar season but the special awards went to:
Will Finlay (Top Goalscorer)
Jonty Kearns (Players’ Player)
Archie England (Supporters’ Player)
Will Ferriday (Manager’s Player) The mood was overshadowed, however, by the sure and certain knowledge that the day of reckoning was upon us! We all knew, as we trooped through to Hanging Judge Hitchen’s courtroom, that we would be made to pay for all of our misdemeanours of the past 12 months. Prosecutors Finlay and Kearns unleashed a relentless torrent of vicious character assassinations (although in fairness when you have a caseload comprising Messrs Dale, Steele, England, Westley and Ferriday, not to mention Mrs Newman-Westley, Thomas, Barlow, Kearns, Tole and Dix, it isn’t the toughest gig in the world) to which the bumbling defence counsel Thomas could only feebly retort: “There is no defence, your Honour.” Hitch (and his glamorous assistant who, I assume, generously donated her bras?) were splendid in their roles and the lads thoroughly enjoyed their evening, particularly when it culminated in a sound thrashing of the Dads in a game of late night football. A rather too early for some 7am start on Sunday morning saw us drive back along the A14 to the Parklands Tigers’ tournament in Northampton. The U9s had a particularly tough task as they were playing up a year but, although I didn’t see much of it, I understand that they played out of their collective skin in winning two, drawing two and only losing one match! The one game I saw was characterised by incredible bravery and tough tackling with Georges Butler and Tole to the fore and I hear that Elliot was in hot goalscoring form. The U12s again started at a high tempo with goals from Gabe, Archie, Will (2) and a calmly slotted penalty from Fez securing three early victories. However, just as we did at the same stage of last year’s tour, we began to flag as the late nights caught up and as energy levels dipped, so did our performances. A 0-0 draw against a team of giants was followed by a 1-1 draw (courtesy of Jasper’s fine finish) and when Oliie went down with a blinding migraine, we lost our final group game 1-0 to just miss out on a semi final spot. A quick word for Finn who produced a save reminiscent of Gordon Banks in the 1970 World Cup and for Sam who was the stand out player of the weekend. In all honesty though, no one was too disappointed to grab the opportunity to head off home early! My thanks go to Matt Thomas for everything he does for the U9s and for organising our tour along with Susie Kearns. Although I wouldn’t say it to his face, he is a diamond! My thanks also to our Assistant Coaches, Messrs Whitehouse, Kearns and England (or ���Ball Bag Rob” as he is affectionately known) and to our loyal band of supporters. But most of all, my thanks go to the players of the U9 and U12 teams. It is a privilege and a pleasure to work with such a superb and talented bunch of lads.
Neil Finlay
June 2017

[canal-st-music-scene]

Ghost at The Lowry

The musical adaptation of the hit film Ghost premiered in Manchester six years ago, before heading for the West End and Broadway. So, there is a great deal of good will from audiences here because it feels like our show. And, there is the fact the film starring Patrick Swayze, Demi Moore and Whoopi Goldberg has many iconic scenes.

When the show first arrives here, it featured some amazing effects by Paul Kieve. This time around, the smoke and mirrors are missing and with this omission, some of the magic is gone.

That’s not to say, there is nothing to see here, as Kelly Hampson is excellent as grief stricken Molly, and Ethan Bradshaw holds his own as Sam who is caught in between two worlds, trying to find his killer. There is a scene stealer here also, who stops the show from becoming maudlin; Jacqui Dubois. Her Oda Mae, the dodgy psychic who begins to hear the dead, is a powerhouse, in terms of comic timing and vocally. Every time she is on stage, this show comes to life.

Sam Ferriday is suitably enough panto villain to give you the binary opposition that shows like this need, as Sam’s ‘best friend’, Carl.

Bruce Joel Rubin, Dave Stewart and Glen Ballard’s songs keep the show bouncing along, and highlight the melancholy and empty feelings of grief and loss very well.

For anyone who has seen the show in its original form, or during the first tour, there is a nagging feeling here that things have been scaled down way too much and it feels a bit cheap. From the size of the ensemble, lack of special effects through to Mark Bailey’s wobbly set design.

There are some magical moments created by the illusionist Richard Pinner, but not enough to satisfy those who pay full whack and expect more bang for their buck.

The cast give it their all and work incredibly hard to engage the audience, and in most cases, they succeed. The narrative sticks faithfully to the movie, so fans get what they came for. It’s just a shame, that they may also feel that they need a bit more spent on the show to truly believe.

Glenn Meads for Canal St Online

Ghost, the Musical is at the Lowry until 29 April.

Book here.

https://www.quaytickets.com/Online/default.asp?doWork::WScontent::loadArticle=Load&BOparam::WScontent::loadArticle::article_id=BBFE8192-12BB-4906-B652-AFEA2E521E5A&SessionSecurity::referrer=CanalSt

[londontheatre]

(L-R) Sam Ferriday, Matt Corner, Stephen Webb and Lewis Griffiths in JERSEY BOYS UK and Ireland tour 2015 credit Helen Maybanks

Due to overwhelming public demand, the producers of JERSEY BOYS are delighted to announce a second UK & Ireland Tour, to open at the New Alexandra Theatre, Birmingham on 16 December 2017.

JERSEY BOYS first opened in London at the Prince Edward Theatre on 18 March 2008 and moved to the Piccadilly Theatre in March 2014. The Olivier Award-winning West End production will close on Sunday 26 March 2017 following nine amazing years in London. The first UK & Ireland Tour of JERSEY BOYS was a record-breaking success and ran for 18 months, from 4 September 2014 to 5 March 2016.

JERSEY BOYS is the remarkable true story of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons and their rise to stardom from the wrong side of the tracks. These four boys from New Jersey became one of the most successful bands in pop history, were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and sold 175 million records worldwide, all before they turned 30. The show is packed with their hits, including Beggin’, Sherry, Walk Like A Man, December, 1963 (Oh What a Night), Big Girls Don’t Cry, My Eyes Adored You, Let’s Hang On (To What We’ve Got), Bye Bye Baby, Can’t Take My Eyes Off You, Working My Way Back to You, Fallen Angel, Rag Doll and Who Loves You.

Winner of Broadway’s Tony, London’s Olivier and Australia’s Helpmann Awards for Best New Musical, JERSEY BOYS is the winner of 57 major awards worldwide and has been seen by over 24 million people worldwide. JERSEY BOYS can currently be seen across the United States on its US National Tour. The BROADWAY production closed on 15 January 2017 as the 12th longest running show in Broadway history.

JERSEY BOYS is written by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice, with music by Bob Gaudio and lyrics by Bob Crewe. The National / UK & Ireland Tour production is staged by the entire original Broadway creative team, led by director Des McAnuff and choreographer Sergio Trujillo, with scenic design by Klara Zieglerova, costume design by Jess Goldstein, lighting by Howell Binkley, sound by Steve Canyon Kennedy and projection design by Michael Clark. The orchestrations are by Steve Orich and the music supervision and vocal arrangements by Ron Melrose.

The UK & Ireland Tour of JERSEY BOYS is produced by Dodger Theatricals and Ambassador Theatre Group, with Joseph J Grano, Pelican Group, Latitute Link and Rick Steiner.

For further details, please visit http://ift.tt/2m4aMnQ.

Facebook: http://ift.tt/2mLfiMw Twitter: @JerseyBoysUK Instagram: @JerseyBoysUK

LISTINGS INFORMATION 16 Dec 2017 – 6 Jan 2018 Birmingham New Alexandra 0844871 3011 http://ift.tt/18ppj5O On sale 10 March

9 – 20 January Liverpool Empire 0844 871 3017 http://ift.tt/2j87SkD On sale 23 March

23 January – 3 February Milton Keynes Theatre 0844 871 7652 http://ift.tt/1Txe0cK On sale 23 March

6 – 17 February Stoke Regent Theatre 0844 871 7649 http://ift.tt/NLleAa On sale 23 March

20 February – 3 March Hull New Theatre 01482 3 306 http://ift.tt/2m44Hba On sale 24 March

20 – 31 March Sunderland Empire 0844 871 3022 http://ift.tt/1iLKBx0 On sale 23 March

3 – 14 April Glasgow King’s Theatre 0844 871 7648 http://ift.tt/2fbf10Z On sale 23 March

Further dates to be announced.

http://ift.tt/2mLmB6O LondonTheatre1.com

[lrtsilverknights]

Suffolk Tour - 09 - 11 June 2017

Rumours of the “work hard, play hard, party even harder” culture prevalent on LRT tours had begun to take their toll in the run up to this year’s foray into deepest Suffolk with Mrs Steele refusing to go under starter’s orders, Mrs England’s Mum throwing a sickie on her daughter’s behalf and Mrs Butler producing an excuse for early tour departure straight out of the “dog ate my homework” handbook. I mean, is: “I’m playing hockey for England tomorrow” really the best you can come up with? Coach Kearns is a man who knows his own limitations and he arrived a fashionable 24 hours late, much to the disapproval of Judge Hitchen who was about to go into session. Those of us who braved the Friday night traffic around Birmingham and across the A14 arrived at Walnutree Manor for a quick feed before embarking upon a mass participation training session which tested the limits of the coaches’ less than extensive technical capabilities. Early indications were clear, however: the Suffolk boys were going to have to be on top form to cope with the skill, enthusiasm, grit and determination of the mighty Lichfield Knights. After tucking into some delicious cake to celebrate Jasper’s birthday, we settled down to listen to Coach Thomas reprising the U9s’ season and awarding trophies to commemorate a hugely impressive debut 7-a-side campaign. There weren’t many dry eyes in the room as Coach praised the performance, spirit and character of this great bunch of lads before moving on to the special awards which this year went to: Rowan Kearns (Players’ Player) Jake Thomas (Supporters’ Player) George Tole (Manager’s Player) With all the lads safely billeted in time for the 11pm curfew, the parents sat back and relaxed with a half pint of Dales’ Ales and enjoyed a selection of Mr Hitchen’s and Mr England’s parlour games… As Saturday morning dawned bright and sunny (in stark contrast to the rain falling back home 😜) a full English was the order of the day for everyone other than the 7 hardy (read “foolish”) souls who decided to complete the Ipswich Parkrun which, as I discovered to my cost, is located on the only strip of severely undulating land east of Cambridge! The rest of the party made their way to Needham Market FC to watch the U9s take on an opposition who were unbeaten for nearly two years. As a casual observer, I was amazed by the quality of play on display from both teams, with Henry’s reflexes, Ollie’s fierce shooting and Roo’s determination to the fore. As the match entered its final third, the score was level at 3-3, courtesy of goals from Elliot, George Butler and Ollie Stokes but the final period, our second playing up yet another steep hill in England’s flattest county, proved too much as the opposition ran out worthy winners but not before receiving a mighty scare to their unbeaten status. A swift decamp to the 11-a-side pitch allowed Mr Westley an even better angle for soaking up the rays (more of which shortly) as the U12s lined up against their opposition. Captain Archie won the toss and decided that we would play downhill for two of our three 25 minute periods. It was clear that Needham Market were a good team who wanted to play football in the proper way but they were blown away in a first period of scintillating trademark pass and move play by the Silvers. Two ruthless finishes from Charlie and a 25 yard curler from Will stamped our authority on the game before Needham Market threw down a challenge with a 30 yard lob of Jonty. Our response was swift and brutal. Ollie snuffed out an opposition attack with a crunching tackle before feeding the ball to Theo. A pinpoint pass found Charlie whose first time lay off was stroked home, again first time, by the onrushing Harley. Pure class! The second period saw Daniel Tole, Joe Dix and Josh Butler make guest appearances and, wow, were they impressive, slipping comfortably into the well-oiled Silvers’ machine. Further goals from Will and Archie (following up from Harry’s thunderbolt of a free kick) rounded off a stunning 6-2 victory for the boys. There’s no time to rest on an LRT tour, however, and it was straight back to base for the U9s’ second game of the day. Mrs Finlay, the club’s CWO, was clearly frowning upon Coach Thomas’ excessively cruel schedule and, in truth, the boys were beginning to look drained. Impressive tackling from Elliot and George, together with determined running from Frankie and yet more brilliance from Henry weren’t enough to prevent defeat against another very talented opposition. By this stage, the sun was blazing and the rest of the afternoon consisted of a few quiet drinks whilst watching Alice turn Lexie, Grace, Florence and Molly into extras from Aliens and laughing at Mrs Barlow inventing increasingly quirky cures for my hayfever. And in the background Mr Westley’s legs were taking on an alarmingly flamingo hue as he began to regret his earlier over-enthusiastic sunbathing episode… Dinner and the Scotland vs England match were followed by the U12s’ presentation during which the assembled parents were left fumbling for their dictionaries as Coach Kearns began to wax lyrical. Every single one of these magnificent lads has enjoyed a stellar season but the special awards went to: Will Finlay (Top Goalscorer) Jonty Kearns (Players’ Player) Archie England (Supporters’ Player) Will Ferriday (Manager’s Player) The mood was overshadowed, however, by the sure and certain knowledge that the day of reckoning was upon us! We all knew, as we trooped through to Hanging Judge Hitchen’s courtroom, that we would be made to pay for all of our misdemeanours of the past 12 months. Prosecutors Finlay and Kearns unleashed a relentless torrent of vicious character assassinations (although in fairness when you have a caseload comprising Messrs Dale, Steele, England, Westley and Ferriday, not to mention Mrs Newman-Westley, Thomas, Barlow, Kearns, Tole and Dix, it isn’t the toughest gig in the world) to which the bumbling defence counsel Thomas could only feebly retort: “There is no defence, your Honour.” Hitch (and his glamorous assistant who, I assume, generously donated her bras?) were splendid in their roles and the lads thoroughly enjoyed their evening, particularly when it culminated in a sound thrashing of the Dads in a game of late night football. A rather too early for some 7am start on Sunday morning saw us drive back along the A14 to the Parklands Tigers’ tournament in Northampton. The U9s had a particularly tough task as they were playing up a year but, although I didn’t see much of it, I understand that they played out of their collective skin in winning two, drawing two and only losing one match! The one game I saw was characterised by incredible bravery and tough tackling with Georges Butler and Tole to the fore and I hear that Elliot was in hot goalscoring form. The U12s again started at a high tempo with goals from Gabe, Archie, Will (2) and a calmly slotted penalty from Fez securing three early victories. However, just as we did at the same stage of last year’s tour, we began to flag as the late nights caught up and as energy levels dipped, so did our performances. A 0-0 draw against a team of giants was followed by a 1-1 draw (courtesy of Jasper’s fine finish) and when Oliie went down with a blinding migraine, we lost our final group game 1-0 to just miss out on a semi final spot. A quick word for Finn who produced a save reminiscent of Gordon Banks in the 1970 World Cup and for Sam who was the stand out player of the weekend. In all honesty though, no one was too disappointed to grab the opportunity to head off home early! My thanks go to Matt Thomas for everything he does for the U9s and for organising our tour along with Susie Kearns. Although I wouldn’t say it to his face, he is a diamond! My thanks also to our Assistant Coaches, Messrs Whitehouse, Kearns and England (or “Ball Bag Rob” as he is affectionately known) and to our loyal band of supporters. But most of all, my thanks go to the players of the U9 and U12 teams. It is a privilege and a pleasure to work with such a superb and talented bunch of lads. Neil Finlay June 2017

[centrestagereviews]

Casting for Bonnie & Clyde the musical

Casting for the up-and-coming Bonnie & Clyde musical has been announced. 

Bonnie & Clyde is a musical from the talents of Ivan Menchell, Don Black and Frank Wildhorn and will receive a work in progress production at The Other Palace theatre from the 26th of June. 

Jamie Muscato and Evelyn Hoskins will take on the title roles of Bonnie & Clyde and will be joined by Rebecca Trehearn, Ako Mitchell and Amy booth-Steel. 

The ensemble will consist of: Sam Ferriday, Joshya Dever, Nicholas Colicos, Rebecca Lock, Graham Bickley, Stanley Jarvis and Lucy Simmonds. 

Bonnie & Clyde will open at The Other Palace theatre on the 26h of June and will run till the 1st of July. For more information or for tickets head to The Other Palace theatre’s website.

Image courtesy of Google Images.

[lrtsilverknights]

Silver Knights vs White Knights: 28/01/2017

Both the Silver and White Knights have had a fantastic first season in the Midland Junior Premier League and it was inevitable that the two would finally meet for a top-of-the-table clash. On what was a reasonably mild winter morning, it was the turn of the Silvers to host the Whites. The Silvers were up to full strength and started the game the more brightly of the two teams with the Silvers’ midfield pushing forward with some tasty passing to the flanks that forced the Whites’ defence into action. Coach Finlay’s tactic (it was probably Mr England’s idea) of employing Archie as a central defender/defensive midfielder seemed to be paying off with the Whites’ attack nullified with any glint of attack thwarted by a fine defensive display from Ollie and Sam, and in turn Harry and Reagan.

However, despite both teams’ exceptional footballing abilities, opportunities on goal were few and far between with both defences dominant. Before the 20 minute mark it seemed that the game was destined to be a stalemate, but with Jonty forced into a save from 6 yards and with free kicks conceded by the Whites just outside their own box, things were beginning to open up. As if by magic the Silvers finally broke the deadlock. It was Theo ‘Zidane’ Kearns who deceived his marker with a sweet drop of the shoulder and turn that set up Will ‘Fez’ Ferriday on the edge of the box. Fez shot accurately low and hard, for a pin point finish into the far right corner. Great goal!

The goal gave the Silvers that extra lift and although the recent quality we’re all so used to was at times missing today, the Silvers made up for it in spades with real tenacity in their play. No more so encapsulated than when the Whites were driven all the way back to their goal from the edge of the Silvers’ box with some passionate, composed defending that restricted any options of attack. The Silvers were in the ascendancy and the half time team talk could have been a whole lot different if Gabe had managed to connect with header from 6 yards after a beauty of a cross from Jasper after some great work from Charlie, or if the Whites’ keeper didn’t gather just-in-time from a swirling free-kick from Theo, or if Reagan placed his free kick 6 inches to the right. Nevertheless, a fine first half display from the Silvers and a deserved lead to treasure going into the second half.

The second half kicked off and it was the Whites’ turn to assert some consistent pressure to the Silvers’ defence. However, in truth, the Silvers’ defence were magnificent today. I don’t recall Jonty, Ollie, Reagan, Sam, Archie or Harry making a single mistake today, which is a brilliant achievement with the amount of pressure the Silvers were under at times during the game, particularly in the second half. Time and time again in the second half the Silvers’ defence came out on top against top quality opposition.

The dynamics of the game had changed with the asserted pressure from the Whites and the Silvers now adopting a more counter-attacking style. Just as it seemed that the Whites were beginning to control things, it was again the Silver Knights that struck with that man Will Finlay getting on the score sheet. The ‘heartbeat of the Silvers’, Will has been having a blinder of a season and continued his fine run of form with another tenacious, controlled display of grit and skill which the Silvers faithful have become accustomed to all season. Having gained possession outside the Whites’ box, Will received the ball… Flatfooted and with no chance of a step and shot, Will was left only one option, only one impossible option…Somehow he managed to chip the ball towards goal. As the ball floated up high the crowd must have been reminiscing to three games before when a beautiful lob from Will stayed out after some miraculous defending, but not this time. The ball nestled into the net in the far right corner to send the Silvers into rapturous celebrations with all the boys hugging in delight.

Two nil and it was no more than what the boys deserved after a hard fought display. Much to the Whites’ credit, the final 10 minutes seemed like 40 minutes to the Silvers and without Reagan halting a certain Whites’ response with a fine last ditch challenge, it could have been a very different last 10 minutes and end result. However, all in all, the Silvers took their chances, controlled possession when they needed to, were cool in defence and thoroughly deserved victory today.

With thanks to Matt Thomas for today’s match report.